Killer Instinct Could Cost Bayern Munich the Title

For those of you who have been watching Bayern Munich closely this year, you may be experiencing a certain sense of discomfort that despite Bayern's impressive position in the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and Champions League, something just isn't right with the Bavarians, and the recent 1:1 draw against Leverkusen highlights this point.

At certain points during the season the reds boasted impressive victories such as a win against English giants Manchester United, or the 5:1 mauling of Dortmund. But at other times the German giants were sent home empty handed against teams such as Hoffenheim or Frankfurt.

This pattern of inconsistency is a result of the Bavarians' inability to show "killer instinct," and capitalize on matches in which they take the lead.

Dutch superstar, Arjen Robben would agree with this statement, as he was quoted after the 1:1 draw in Leverkusen with saying:

"We always make the same mistake. We've done it so many times before, where we go up 1:0, but afterwards lose control of the game. It's totally unnecessary. We were in a great position after the 1:0, and simply gave it away."

Currently, Bayern's record this season stands at 17 wins, nine draws, and four losses, standing just two points ahead of title-contenders Schalke. Out of the 13 games Bayern were unable to win, seven of them had Bayern taking the lead, from the first game of the season in Hoffenheim, to the most recent one in Leverkusen.

These seven games in which Bayern took the lead, but were unable to capitalize are as follows:

08.08.2009:  1899 Hoffenheim - FC Bayern 1:1

07.11.2009:  FC Bayern - FC Schalke 04 1:1

22.11.2009:  FC Bayern - Bayer Leverkusen 1:1

20.02.2010:  1. FC Nürnberg - FC Bayern 1:1

20.03.2010:  Eintracht Frankfurt - FC Bayern 2:1

27.03.2010:  FC Bayern - VfB Stuttgart 1:2

10.04.2010:  Bayer Leverkusen - FC Bayern 1:1

For those of you who saw the match against Leverkusen, it serves as a perfect example. Bayern started out and developed their impressive possession game as they have against Schalke in the DFB Pokal and the first leg against Manchester.

But, after their goal in the 51st minute, it seemed a switch went off telling them the game was over. They lost control of the game, and at that point it was just a matter of time until Leverkusen drew even. This same pattern was present for most of the seven games as well.

Now, while you could argue it was a result of mental fatigue due to an exhausting schedule of late, this would only hold true for one match...not seven.

In the home stretch, with Bayern leading the league by two points, and Schalke and Leverkusen with a more difficult remaining schedule than the Bavarians, Bayern are not out of the woods just yet.

An "easier schedule" means nothing to Bayern. Out of the 13 mentioned games Bayern were unable to win, six of them were at the hands of teams who would also fall under the "easy schedule" category.

If Bayern Munich want to win the Bundesliga this year, they need to display the mental maturity to play a game for 90 minutes, not 51 minutes until their first goal, and then ease off the gas.

The remainder of their schedule is easier than Schalke's and Leverkusen's. They are all matches Bayern SHOULD be winning, but if they want to hold the trophy at the end of the season, they need to do exactly that...win.